Previous Article | Next Article ![]()
Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, January 2000, p. 68-71, Vol. 7, No. 1
Department of Population Medicine and
Diagnostic Science,1 Department of
Biomedical Sciences,2 and Department of
Clinical Sciences,3 College of Veterinary
Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
Received 22 July 1999/Returned for modification 30 September
1999/Accepted 13 October 1999
A pony was vaccinated with recombinant OspA vaccine (rOspA) and
then exposed 3 months later to Borrelia
burgdorferi-infected ticks (Ixodes scapularis)
collected in Westchester County, N.Y. At 2 weeks after tick exposure,
the pony developed a high fever (105°F). Buffy coat smears showed
that 20% of neutrophils contained ehrlichial inclusion bodies
(morulae). Flunixin Meglumine (1 g daily) was given for 2 days, and the
body temperature returned to normal. PCR for ehrlichial DNA was
performed on blood samples for 10 consecutive days beginning when the
pony was first febrile. This pony was monitored for another 3.5 months
but developed no further clinical signs. The 44-kDa immunodominant
human granulocytic ehrlichiosis antigen gene was amplified by PCR and
cloned into a pCR2.1 vector. DNA sequence analysis of this gene showed
it was only 8 bp different (99% identity) from the results reported by
others (J.W. Ijdo et al., Infect. Immun. 66:3264-3269, 1998). Western
blot analysis, growth inhibition assays, and repeated attempts to
isolate B. burgdorferi all demonstrated the pony was protected against B. burgdorferi infection. These results
highlight the potential for ticks to harbor and transmit several
pathogens simultaneously, which further complicates the diagnosis and
vaccination of these emerging tick-borne diseases.
1071-412X/0/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis Agent Infection in
a Pony Vaccinated with a Borrelia burgdorferi Recombinant
OspA Vaccine and Challenged by Exposure to Naturally Infected
Ticks
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Population Medicine and Diagnostic Science, College of Veterinary
medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. Phone: (607) 253-3675. Fax: (607) 253-2943. E-mail: yc42{at}cornell.edu.
This article has been cited by other articles:
| Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. | Clin. Microbiol. Rev. | Infect. Immun. |
|---|---|---|
| J. Clin. Microbiol. | J. Virol. | ALL ASM JOURNALS |